Tractor seat



R; W. GUNDERSEN TRACTOR SEAT Sept. 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.6, 1950 INVENTOR. 62026222215222;

Sept. 22, 1953 R. W. GUNDERSEN TRACTOR SEAT Filed Dec. 6, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet ,2

' 'INVEIVTOR.

Patented Sept. 22, 1953 TRA AT- Ralph WLGunder-sen, St. Paul,Minn.,assignor,to Coach v8a .Car Equipment Corporation, Chicago,

l -,=-.a ccrngrati nio lll nqi Application December 6, 1950,Serial-No.-199, 51 9 11 Claims. (01. l 5-.-5-1-) This invention relatesto-spring seat structures for tractors or similar machines; and it hasfor its object the provision of an improved structure of this typewhichwill provide smooth riding for the operator and which will support theoperator of the tractor at all times within convenient reach of thecontrol mechanisms of the tractor.

A principal object of theinventionis to provide improved arrangement ofresilient meansand associated parts for supporting a seat alwaysin levelposition by theuse of a strong rugged strucwhich is not likely to getout of order in lon continued use, to make the mechanism y adjustablefor suiting the requirements .tors of different size and weight, toprothe seat element ofthe structure may be our lily and easily moved outof operative position so as to permit the operator to work in a standingposition toadvantage; and toimdevices of this type in sundry detailshereinafter pointed out.

preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which l a perspective view of" the preferred form of myimproved spring seat structure.

is a View similar'toFigl but showing seat in changed positionforenabling an operator to work conveniently in a standing pos-ition.

3 is a side view'of myimproved seat structure on an enlarged scale, withcertain of the par 5 shown in section andotherparts broken away forclearness of illustration.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the supporting mechanism of the seat, shownpartly in section and with the seat member removed.

is a vertical sectional view taken substantially at theline 5'- 5 inFig. 4; and

. 5 is a view similar'toFig. '3 but showing-a 01 form of thesupportingmechanismj g nowtothe several figures of the drawin s, inwhich corresponding parts are-indicate by the same reference characters,It

indicates a base plate designed to be securedto the door of a tractordirectly to therearofthe steering wheel and other'control mechanisms ofa tractor or the like, having a standard 'II mounted thereon bytriangular bracket members 52' rigidly connected with both the plate andi thestandard. A pivoted" arm structure it is composed. of a pair oflaterally spaced links i t-i 3 connected attheir front ends to; oppositesides of the standard; A similar j pivote d arm structure I l! iscomposed of laterally spaced links I i-ld which: are likewise connectedat their front ends to opposite sides of the standard H, but at a lower.level than the arm structure lfi The lower. arm structure w is alsoslightly longer than the upper arm structure as is clearly shown in Fig.3. The rear ends of both said pivoted arm structures are pivotallyconnected with a heavy supporting post it which is hollow andsubstantially square in cross-section, being providedat its upper endwith a .forwardly-extending bar it also of hollow form, as is shown inFigs. 2 and 4. The links I3 and 8 1 of the pivoted arm structures .l3 li are connected in such arrangement and are of such length that'they arepositioned-in parallel planes with the seat supporting post i5 tippedbackwardly to a very slight extent .from the perpendicular when the seatI! mounted thereon is in its uppermost positionas shown in Fig. 3.

The seat liis of any approved form, having aback memb'erlB mountedthereon-by means or" a set of supporting bars 29 of any approvedconstructionandarrangement by which the back It is supported rigidlyinposition with respect to-the seat member I].-

The seatmember I is mounted on the supporting post l5 by means of aheavy pivot-pin .20 extending through a lug 21- carried by the post-andthrough selected ones of a series of openings-22 in the flanges of achannel bar 23 rigidly secured in position-on the bottom face of theseat member. The arrangement is such that theseat- Il may besupported innormal level supportingiposition as shownin Fig. 1 with the channel barZS-embracing the horizontally-extending'bar lli having arectangularcross section, as-shown-inFig-B, or in alternative position as-shown inFig. 2 with'the channel bar 23 extending upwardly and/or outwardly withrespect to the-bar IS. The upturned position of the seat, asshownin'Fi'g. 2, isnotintended to show the seat in a supported position, butrather to-illus-trate that the-seat may be turned upwardly'to permit theoperator to assume a standing position. Theangular position at which theseat will'be'supported, when it is turned upwardly relativejto' the arm.16', will vary with relation to the adjusted position of the seat memberlengthwise of the arm l6; Forexample, if the pivoted bolt is insertedthrough the end hole 22, the seat may'be-turned'to a substantiallyinverted position. However, if the seat is adjusted lengthwise of thearm l6-so that the-pivoted bol't 2fl-isinsertedthrough-the innermosthole 22, the rear end of the channel into engagement with the rear faceof the post l to prevent the seat from being completely inverted. By theprovision of a plurality of openings 22 for the pin 20, the seat I! ismade readily adjustable forwardly and backwardly.

Means is provided for releasably latching the channel bar 23 to the barI6 for holding the seat member ll relcasably in its operative supportingposition. This means comprises a fiat bar or plate 24 pivotally mountedon a vertically positioned pin 25 in the bar It (see Figs. 4- and 5) andnormally pressed by a coiled spring 26 into bar 23 will move prising theplate 34 and the arm 31 thereon, together with their associated parts asshown in Fig. 3, and with the outwardly positioned portions of saidblocks connected with the pivoted arm structure M the seat I! issupported by the torsional strength of said blocks, the arrangementbeing preferably such that said blocks and 3| are under light torsionaltension when the seat member i! is unoccupied, as shown. For limitingthe upward movement of the seat I'i under such conditions, a bar 43 issecured in position by welding or otherwise between the links positionagainst the wall of the bar It for hold- I ing a pin 2'? on said bar 25in position to extend transversely through a suitable opening in thewall of said bar I5 for engagement with one or another of a set ofopenings 28 in one of the flanges of the channel 23. At its forward end,the bar 2 is provided with a handle portion 28 extending downwardly intoconvenient position for enabling the operator easily to retract the pin2? when the seat is to be released for angular movement with respect tothe supporting The openings 28 in the channel bar 23 are spaced toconform with the openings 22 so that the pin 2? will be adapted toengage one of the openings 28 regardless of which of said openings 22are occupied by the pivot pin 2%.

My improved yielding means for supporting the seat member 5? at thedesired level with varying loads thereon comprises two blocks of rubber3t and 3! which are connected in position between angularly support theseat by the torsional strength of the locks. For effecting this result,said blocks 33 and 3! are mounted on a metal sleeve 32 which in turn iscarried by a heavy shaft 33 mounted in the standard I i. A metal plate313 is mounted between said blocks, being strongly bonded to both of theblocks at their inner faces. The outer faces of the blocks are stronglybonded to metal plates 35 and 36, respectively, which are pressedinwardly at their intermediate portions' into dished form, with theirinnermost edge portions, however, reversely bent so as to be taperedoutwardly, as shown in Fig. 5. By this arrangement, a comparatively veryextensive engaging surface is provided between each block and the outerplate 35 or 33 associated therewith so as to facilitate the formation ofan exceedingly strong bond between the plate and the block.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 3, the plate 313 is provided with an arm 3?extending therefrom, pivotally connected with a cylindrical link mem ber38 which in turn is adjustably connected by screw-threads with a barlink member 39 having a bearing in the front wall of the standard H andprovided with a crank handle 49 for rotating it for causing the arm 31to swing in counterclockwise direction from the position as shown insaid Fig. 3. At the outer faces of the blocks 30 and 3!, said blocks areprovided with plates M which are fixedly secured in position withrespect to the blocks by being welded to the plates 35 and 38. Each ofthe plates fill extends beyond the rubber blocks at opposite faces ofthe blocks, such extensions being rigidly connected by suitmovable partsso as to 7 able bolts 22 with the members i l -id of the pivoted arm I iwith such bolts mounted in the selected ones of a plurality of openings52 in such extensions.

With the inwardly positioned portions of the blocks 38 and 3! heldrigidly in position with respect to the standard H by the meanscomfigure.

i3-l3 of the arm structure l3 in position to engage the supporting postl5 so as to prevent the swinging of said arm structure l3, l3 incounter-clockwise direction withrespect to said post in Fig. 3 beyondthe position shown in said When an operator desires to be seated, he canvery quickly and very easily give the handle it a few turns as may benecessary for shortening the effective length of the adjustablyconnected links 39 and 38 so as to increase very substantially thetension on the blocks 39 and 3|. I have found in practice that foroperators of different weights, when the parts are properly adjusted soas to provide the required tension, the blocks 3? and 3! of rubber areadapted by their torsional resiliency to provide exceedingly easy ridingconditions, regardless of the weight of the operator. The effect issimilar whether the operator weighs '70 pounds or 300 pounds. In allcases the seat remains at all times in its level operative position,with a minimum of jouncing or jolting. Moreover, the yielding movementof the seat is within such limits that the operator has no difficultywith respect to remaining at all times in position for enabling him tooperate the various foot-levers and other controls within easy reach.

Whenever it may be desired, the operator is able very quickly and easilyto release the pin 2? from the engaged opening 28 in the channel member23 so as to permit the seat to be tipped backwardly out of the way so asto enable the operator to stand without inconvenience for his work.

In Fig. 6, a slightly different arrangement is shown, comprising a base54 in the form of a channel, having a post 45 rising therefrom forsupporting a second channel supporting member 45 in horizontal positiona short distance above the floor, a standard 47 being supported fromsaid channel member 15. On this standard, arm structure GE 59 composed,respectively, of links 63 and 49 are pivotally mounted, corresponding tothe arm structures l3"= and of the construction first described, suchlinks 128 and 49 extending forwardly for pivotal connection with atubular structure comprising a post 5i} and a horizontally positionedbar member 5i, upon which a seat 52 is mounted, with a back 5 3connected therewith by means comprisin a bar Ed. The arms or links ailare yieldingly connected with the standard 41 by an arrangement similarto that above described in connection with Fig. 5. This connecting andoperating means comprises rubber blocks 62 (corresponding to blockstil-3| of Fig. 5) strongly bonded to an inside plate 55 (correspondingto plate 2 2 of Fig. 5) and to outside plates 56 (corresponding toplates M- H of Fig. 5), such plates 56 being connected by meanscomprising bolts 5'! with the arms 49. The inside plate 55 is providedwith an arm 58 extending outwardly therefrom and pivotally connected atits outer end with a link of variable length comprising a cylinder 59and a rod 60 connected by screw-threads with said cylinder. At its rearend portion, the rod 66 has a rotatable bearing in the upper end portionof the standard ll, with a crank handle i mounted on the rod forrotating it so as to adjust the effective length of said link comprisingthe cylinder and the rod.

Inasmuch as the several parts in the construction in Fig. 6 aregenerally similar to the corresponding parts in the arrangement firstdescribed, it is believed to be unnecessary to describe the same infurther detail. By the rotation of the crank El and the rod 60, thetension on the blocks 48 can be regulated to suit the weight of theoperator so as tomake the seat ride easily and comfortably.

By the use of my invention, I have provided a construction which is verystron and very durable so as to be adapted to stand up for many yearsunder ordinary conditions of use, while at the same time beingeifectively sensitive to the requirements for avoiding unnecessaryjolting so as to provide easy riding and thus conserve the health andstrength of the operator.

While I prefer to employ the form of structure as shown and described,my invention is not tobe limited thereto, except so far as the same maybe specifically claimed, it being understood that changes might well bemade in the form and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A yielding seat structure comprising in combination a standard, twoarm structures pivotally mounted on said standard in substantiallyparallel relationship to each other one above the other, a seatsupporting member pivotally mounted on said arm structures so as to bemovable upwardly and downwardly with said arm structures, and meansconnected with one of said arm structures and with said standard adaptedby its tor sional strength to support said seat supporting memberyieldingly in elevated position on said last mentioned arm structure,comprising tworubber blocks bonded to the opposite faces of aninterposed plate, means for adjustably connecting said interposed platein fixed position on said standard for holding the plate and the engagedface portions of the blocks against rotary movement with respect to thestandard, and means bonded to the outer faces of said blocks andconnected with one of said arm structures for giving said outer faceportions of the blocks rotary movements with respect to the standardwhen said seat member is moved downwardly.

2. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 1, in which the meansfor adjustably connecting the interposed plate to the standard includesmeans for giving said plate a rotary movement with respect to thestandard for puttin the blocks under tension circumferentiallyindependently of downward movement of said seat memher.

3. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 1, in which means isprovided comprising a link of adjustable length for giving said plate arotary movement with respect to the standard for putting a torsionaltension on said blocks independently of downward movement of the seatmember.

4. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 1, in which saidblocks of rubber are tapered outwardly away from said interposed plate,and in which the means for connecting the outer face portions of saidrubber blocks with said arm comprises metal plates engaging the outerfaces of the blocks and dished inwardly for providing increased areas ofengagement so as to expedite the formation of a strong bond be tween theblocks and the plate.

5. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 4, in which the meansfor connecting one of said dished plates with said arm comprises a plateextending beyond the rubber blocks at opposite side portions thereof andconnected with said one arm at both sides of the axis about which theouter face portions of said blocks are rotatable.

6. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 1, in which saiddished plates are tapered inwardly with reverse bend portions at theirinner edges tapered outwardly.

'7. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 1, in which means isprovided for limiting the upward movement of said seat member withrespect to said standard.

8. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 1, in which stopmeans is provided on one of said pivoted arm structures adapted byengagement with the supporting part with which it is pivotally connectedto limit the upward movement of said seat member with respect to saidstandard.

9. A yielding seat structure comprising in combination a standard, twoarm structures pivotally mounted on said standard in substantiallyparallel relationshi to each other one above the other, a supportingpost pivotally mounted on said arm structures so as to be movableupwardly and downwardly with said arms, means comprising a block ofrubber connected with one of said arm structures and adapted by thetorsional strength of said block to resist downward swinging movement ofsaid one arm structure, a seat member pivotally mounted on saidsupporting post, and means for holding said seat member normally insubstantially level position on said post and releasable alternativelyfor permitting the seat member to be turned upwardly and backwardly intoa position to permit the operator to stand readily in convenientoperating position.

10. A yieldin seat structure as specified in claim 9, in which saidreleasable holding means comprises a pin mounted on a spring pressed baradapted in its extended position to lock said seat member in itsoperative position on said supporting post.

11. A yielding seat structure as specified in claim 9, in which saidsupporting post is provided with a horizontally extending bar portion atits upper end upon which said seat member rests, with a spring-pressedpin extending laterally from said bar portion adapted by engagement withan opening in a flange carried by the seat member to hold the seatmember in operative position.

RALPH W. GU'NDERSEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,960,939 Hansen May 29, 1934 2,303,567 McWhorter Dec. 1, 19422,460,596 Roche Feb. 1, 1949

